From Student to Work Visa in Japan: Steps, Documents and Timing

Who this is for

This guide is for people in Japan on Student status who are about to graduate, or have just graduated, from a university, graduate school, junior college or vocational school (専門学校), and who have a full-time job offer or expect one soon. It is also useful for employers hiring an international graduate for the first time, because much of the paperwork comes from the company side.

If the only school you attended in Japan is a Japanese-language school, the Engineer/Specialist route generally depends on a degree or diploma you earned elsewhere, for example in your home country, or on documented work experience. For many language-school students, Specified Skilled Worker is the more realistic path. If you graduate without an offer and want to keep looking, see our page on job hunting after graduation.

Requirements: the job decides the status

You do not choose a visa and then look for a job that fits it. The actual duties of the job decide which status is possible, and your background then has to match that status.

Engineer/Specialist covers work that needs professional knowledge: software development, engineering, accounting, marketing, planning, translation and interpretation, overseas trade and similar roles. In general you need a university degree, or a Japanese vocational school diploma that comes with the title 専門士, in a subject related to the duties. The ISA tends to judge the link between a university major and the job more flexibly than for vocational school graduates, whose course content is expected to match the work more closely. Your salary must be at least what a Japanese employee would receive for comparable work. Jobs made up mainly of simple manual tasks, such as only serving tables, stocking shelves or line work, do not fit this status.

Specified Skilled Worker (i) covers hands-on work in designated fields. You need to pass the skills test for the field and a Japanese test (the JFT-Basic, or JLPT N4 or higher; nursing care has an additional language test). The employer must meet the standards for accepting organizations, sign an employment contract that follows the SSW rules, and carry out a support plan itself or through a registered support organization.

For either route, the ISA may also look at your record as a student: attendance, whether your part-time work stayed within the permitted hours, and whether you paid residence tax and health insurance. It also considers whether the employer's business is stable enough to keep employing you.

Step by step

The order below is typical for an in-country change of status. Your school's career office, the employer's HR team or a scrivener may organize it slightly differently.

• 1. Compare the job description with the status you are aiming for. Look at what you will actually do each day, not only the job title.
• 2. Agree with the employer on who prepares what: you, HR, or an outside scrivener. Ask for a written offer or contract that lists duties, salary, working hours and start date.
• 3. For Specified Skilled Worker, make sure you hold pass certificates for the skills test and the Japanese test, in the same field as the job, and that the employer has arranged the support plan.
• 4. Collect your documents from your school, the city office and elsewhere, and prepare Japanese translations of any foreign-language documents.
• 5. File the change of status application at the regional immigration services bureau that covers your address. You can apply in person, or a registered agent can file for you, such as a certified scrivener, a lawyer, or registered staff of your school or employer. Online filing is available for some applications.
• 6. Answer any request for additional documents quickly, and keep copies of everything you submit.
• 7. When the application is approved you receive a notice. You may be asked to show your graduation certificate or diploma. A revenue stamp fee applies on approval (check the ISA site for the current amount), and you then receive a new residence card.
• 8. Start full-time work only after the new status has been granted, and from the agreed start date.

Documents you usually prepare

The exact list depends on the status, the employer and your circumstances, and the ISA publishes its own list for each status. The items below are the categories that are typically requested. They are not a complete list, and preparing all of them does not guarantee approval.

• Application form for change of status of residence, with a photo in the specified size
• Passport and residence card, presented at filing
• Graduation certificate, or a certificate of expected graduation (卒業見込証明書) if you apply before graduating
• Transcript and, where useful, a description of the courses you took
• CV, plus certificates for Japanese level or other qualifications that relate to the job
• For Specified Skilled Worker: pass certificates for the skills and Japanese tests, and a health check report on the designated form
• Residence tax certificates or other proof of tax and insurance payments, when requested

Documents the employer usually prepares

The ISA sorts employers into categories, roughly from large or listed companies down to small or newly established ones, and more documents are requested as you go down the categories. A company hiring a foreign graduate for the first time should check which category it falls into before collecting papers.

• Employment contract, offer letter or notice of working conditions (労働条件通知書) showing duties, salary, hours and contract period
• Company registration certificate (登記事項証明書)
• Recent financial statements, or a business plan if the company is newly established
• Documents showing which category the employer belongs to, such as the annual summary of withholding tax records filed with the tax office
• A job description and, often, a letter explaining why the company is hiring you and how your studies relate to the work
• For Specified Skilled Worker: the SSW employment contract and support plan on the prescribed forms, and documents on the employer's compliance with labor, social insurance and tax rules

Timing

Processing time varies by bureau, season and case, so plan months ahead. The spring graduation season, with jobs starting in April, is the busiest time of year. Bureaus usually start accepting applications from students who are expected to graduate some months before graduation day; the ISA announces the acceptance period, so check it and file as early as you are able.

Always file before your current period of stay expires. If an application filed before expiry is still pending on the expiry date, you can generally remain in Japan under your current status until the decision, for up to two months after the original expiry date. Treat that as a safety net, not a plan.

Be careful with part-time work after graduation. The permission that lets students work part-time assumes you are studying, so once you have graduated it generally no longer covers you. Check before continuing a part-time job while you wait for the result.

Common pitfalls

Most refusals and delays come from a handful of avoidable problems. If your case has any unusual element, such as a change of major, a gap in your studies, a small or brand-new employer, or past trouble with part-time hours, get individual advice from a certified scrivener or an immigration lawyer before you file.

• The job title sounds professional but the real duties are mostly simple manual work
• Your major has little obvious link to the duties, and the application never explains the connection
• Part-time work beyond the permitted hours while studying, or unpaid residence tax or health insurance
• Waiting for company documents until the last days before your period of stay expires
• Starting full-time work before the new status is granted
• Trusting anyone who says a visa is guaranteed, or paying a broker for that promise. Only the ISA decides